Wednesday, March 20, 2013

JANUARY 14, 1753 - DEATH OF GEORGE BERKELEY, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF CLOYNE IRELAND, PHILOSOPHER

1753 - DEATH OF GEORGE BERKELEY, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF
CLOYNE IRELAND, PHILOSOPHER
Berkeley wrote
The Querest in 1735. It was written as questions, which suggested their own
answers. On whether money has inherent value, he asked/wrote: "Whether
money is to be considered as having an intrinsic value, or as being a
commodity, a standard, a measure, or a pledge as is variously suggested by
writers? On the evolution of exchange and money, "Whether in the rude
original society the first step was not the exchanging of commodities, the next
a substitution of metals by weight as the common medium of circulation, after
this the making use of coin, lastly a further refinement by the use of paper
with proper marks and signatures? And whether as it is the last so it be not
the greatest improvement? And whether money be not in truth tickets or
tokens for conveying and recording such power, and whether it be of great
consequence what materials the tickets are made of."